Ammunition lubrication



April 3, 1951 J. R. TURNER AMMUNITION LUBRICATION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 7, 1948 INVENTOR.

April 3, 1951 J. R. TURNER 2,547,548

AMMUNITION LUBRICATION Filed Jan. 7, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

Y fa/#v f?. ZUM/ff? volves a turret,

Patented Apr. 3, 1951 UNITED STAT *ortie AMMUNITION LUBRICATION Application January 7, 1948, Serial No. 1,024

3 Claims. l

This invention relates to apparatus for continuously applying a lubricant to a series of articles which are intermittently or continuously moved into contact with the lubricant applicator, and particularly to means for preheating the lubricant-receiving portion of such articles and applying thereto a lubricant which is solid at normal temperatures but which for the purpose of application has been heated to iluidity.

The invention has been illustrated as applied to the lubrication of the bullets or projectiles of loaded cartridges, which cartridges are continuously moved through a preheater and past the lubricant applicator. Such a lubricating apparatus may form one unit of a compound machine for the continuous loading of cartridges, such as .22 caliber rimfire cartridges.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic plan view of one form of apparatus embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of the lubricant applying turret and directly associated parts.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the preheater, substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The machine comprises a conveyor, such as a chain, identiiied generally by the numeral I0, having secured thereto at appropriate intervals laterally extending arms II apertured as shown at I2 to form receptacles for workpieces such as loaded cartridges. Said conveyor chain reidentied generally by numeral I3, having secured thereon, for engagement with chain It, a sprocket wheel I4. The turret is supported from a iixed central post or pedestal I5 through suitable bearings, one of which is shown atV I1. Mounted for rotation in the peripheral portion of the lower part of the turret are a plurality of workpiece supporting stems I8, the upper ends of which, as shown at I9, project through apertures in the sprocket Wheel I4 and may be slightly recessed to properly receive workpieces, such as a cartridge, identied as W. The stems I8 are rotated through the engagement of pinions 20, secured to the lower ends of such stems, with the internal teeth of a ring gear 2I secured to the Xed pedestal I5;

Mounted for rotation in the upper portion of turret I3 are a plurality of workpiece holding punches 22 respectively in vertical alignment with the stems I8. The lower end of each punch 22 comprises a recessed workpiece engaging head 23, having a pin-and-slot connection with its punch and urged downwardly with respect to 2 its punch by yieldable means such as spring 24. Like the stems I8, the punches 22 are rotated, through the engagement of pinions 25, thereon with the internal teeth of ring gear 25,

secured to the upper portion of the fixed pedestal I5. Means are also provided for vertically reciprocating punches 22. Such means may com` prise a cylindrical cam 21 secured to pedestal I5 and a cam following roller 28 projecting radially inward from a head structure 25 which carries one or more of the punches 22. it is common practice to arrange the punches 22 in pairs, using one head structure 25 and cam iollowing roller 28 for each pair.

The conveyorchain I may engage sprocket I4 of the turret through any desired arc of movement. Anuengagement of about has been illustrated. During the time that the cartridges or other workpieces are moving in an arcuate path about the turret a lubricant is applied to them or to any desired part of them. In the lubrication of ammunition it is desirable that lubricant be applied only to the cylindrical or driving band portion of the bullets. It is at this portion only that the lubricant serves the useful purpose of reducing friction between the bullet and the barrel of a firearm through which the bullet is projected. The presence of a lubricant on the nose or ogive of the bullet is both` useless and undesirable, since it makes the bul-` let and cartridge greasy to handle and tends te., 'collect any foreign matter with which it comes. in contact. The means for applying lubricant. to the driving band portion only of bullets..I traversing the turret comprises an applicator.-

Wheel 3G mounted for revolution concentric with, but independent of the turret. The mounting; may comprise bearings 3I. While the entire arg-- pplicator disk may be of metal, the rim or work:-

piece engaging portion thereof is preferably oi felt, leather or other soft lubricant-retaining; material 32, the periphery of 'disk 3Q being suit-- ably recessed to securely hold a band of such material. The diameter of the applicator band. 32 as supported upon the disk is such as to effectively engage the driving band portion of the bullets of cartridges traversing the turret and deliver lubricant thereto. Disk 30 is driven at an appropriate speed through a pulley 33 associated therewith, which pulley is engaged by a belt 34 driven by a belt wheel 35 associated with an idler sprocket 36 rotated by the conveyor chain. The arrangement is such that the linear speed of the bullet surfaces, as determined by the` rotation of stems I8 and punches 22, differs.

from the linear speed of the lubricant applying rim 32, so that the lubricant is adequately brushed into the grooved and serrated driving band portion of each bullet.

Lubricant is supplied to the applicator 32 from a suitable reservoir 3'?. The lubricant is preferably one which is solid at ordinary temperatures, and there is associated with` the tank or reservoir 31 suitable heating means for liquefying the lubricant.

by appropriate connections to any moving element, such as the idler sprocket 36;' 'The reservoir, heating means, pump, and pump .driving cator ring d2 on disk Si? and is rotated by such engagement, The mounting or disklis preferably of such a character as to provide Vfor an adjustment in the force vof engagement oi'ring 4| Awith ring 32. For lthis purpose, disk d may be provided -vv-ith "a trunnion received'in a hollow Vboss lliliextending'laterally from an arm 45 pivoted at to a xed'part of the machine. AssociatedL with the ar-m d 'is a Weighting mem- .ber i? which `may be slotted as shown 'at d8 to vadjustably receive a supplemental weighting Vmember 49.

To insu-re consistent application of a regulated `quantity of lubricant to each bullet Aand adequate adhesion to the bullet it has vbeen found desirable to -preheat the 'bullets or the surfaces thereof, and Ito causet-hem to traversethe 'lubricating turret in a heated condition. For this purpose, a preheater is associated with the reach of the conveyor chain 'iu which is approaching the lubricating turret; `While preheating may be efected by placing about said reach of -the conveyor chain al1-elongated chamber heated by Aany suitable means, I prefer heating vby induction. Apparatus for this purposemaybe constructed as follows:

The reach of the conveyor chain with which the preheater is associated preferably has a straight line, rather than an arcuate,Y movement. About such a reach of chain is arranged a suitable chain guide and workpiece support-a sectionof such chain guidebeing Aillustratedin Fig. 3. Appropriately spaced supports 5B are provided, Yand such supports carry an elongated chain supporting base 5i to which are secured'lateral `chain guide pieces 52 and 53. The upper .surface of the guide piece sorms a support for the workpieces carried in the chain Yarms Il. Members 5|., 52 and 53 are preferably non-metallic and of low heat conductivity. lSecined tothe 'base plate 5i at appropriate intervals,r or `to Ysupports 158 are a series of Vbrackets '5G which Vserve as supports for a pair of "insulating bars .5 5 and '56, which bars are spaced `from each other ;b y a distance only slightly ,exceeding the maximum diameter of lthe ,cartridges or other Workpieces which traverse the space between them. Embedded in the insulating `bars 5v5 and .56 respectively lare electrical kconductors 57V and '58', whichk conductors are positioned opposite the ydriving The liquid lubricant is delivered l from reservoir 31 by a pump of conventionalY design, indicated at 38, which pump. is actuated.

i band portion of the bullets and as close thereto as practicable. Conductors 5l' and 58 are preferably of the usual induction heating copper tubing, through which cold Water is circulated, and are connected to a suitable source of high frequency alternating current, not shown, since per se it forms no part of this invention. The passage iormed by insulating bars 5 5 nd 55 terminates closely adjacent the point' at which the conveyor chain begins to traverse the sprocket wheel i4, and, while traversing this passage, the bullets-and particularly the driving Vband portion thereof are inductively heated by the high frequency current' in conductors' 51 and 58. It is noted that, `Since induction heating is a function of electrical resistance, and since the lead of the bullets is of muchy greater resistance than the copper, gilding metal or brass of the cartridge cases, the heating of the bullet and particularly the surface portion thereof is substantial, while the heating of the more highly conductive cartridge case metal is negligible; Thus, in the manner described, the lubricantV receiving portions ci `lead bullets can be heated to the extent necessary for requisite iubricant adhesion Without such heating of the cartridge caseas Will be detrimental` either to the case or to its contents. Moreover, the amount of lubricant delivered to each bullet being a function of the concentration of lubricant in the applicator` ring 32, such amcunt'can be accurately controlled by controlling the rate of delivery of lubricant tothe distributor disk is by the pump l38. `Very rapidand accurately controlled delivery and applica-tion and even distribution of an adequatel but not excessive quantity of lubricant to each bullet is thus insured.

The lubricant being one which'is `solidA at normai temperatures and being?,r delivered for use in the manner described at a temperature only slightly above its nmelting point, it becomes desirable thattl'le Working `parts of the turret be maintained at a Vtemperature 'at or-slightly above the lubricant Vmelting point, in order to avoid vthe congealing of lubricant lthereon and consequent interference `with proper functioning. For this purpose, any suitable 4mear-1s or maintaining a slightly elevated 'temperature about the- Working parts ofthe -turretl'may be provided. The form 4oit'tirret heater whichv is-illustrated in the drawingscomprises a housing A@3GA surrounding an Vappropriate Ypar-t of -theturret and lconta-ining such heaters 'as a-se 1-ies ofinfrared lamps indicated-at di Wha-t :is claimed is:

l1.- Apparatus for the-continuous*lubricationoi the bullets lof loadedcartridges, comprising a lcontinuously -moving conveyor for such cartridges, arpa-ir ruf-'elongated electrodes `adjacent a reach of such Vvconveyor and -onopposite sides of the 'bullets of aline of cartridges therein, yand means adjacent oneend of said-electrodes for applying a liquid ulubricant to the bullets of car-- tridges emerging Jfrom Athe passage #between said electrodes.y Y l 2. Apparatus for the continuous"lubrication of the vbulli-:ts for" 'loaded :cartridgea comprising a continuously moving conveyor for vsuch cartridges, 'inductive npreheating means associated with a Yreach of such conveyor and adapted 4to heat the bullets only of such cartridges, and means adjacent said 'inductive preheating `means for applying Y. a liguidlubricant 'to the bullets of cartridges emerging therefrom.

3:Apparatus rfor 'the continuous lubricationy 5 s of the bullets of loaded cartridges comprising a continuously moving chain conveyor for such cartridges, inductive preheating means coinprising a pair of elongated electrodes in close proximity to a reach of said conveyor to inductively heat the surface portion of the bullets only of cartridges carried by such conveyor, a turret located closely adjacent said induction heater and driven by said chain conveyor, means driven by the motion of said turret for individually rotating cartridges in said chain conveyor as such cartridges traverse said turret, and means for applying a lubricant to the bullet of each such cartridge while so rotated.

JOHN R.. TURNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the Jle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,780,566 Pedersen Nov. 4, 1930 2,159,297 Shover May 23, 1939 2,457,758 Vore Dec. 28, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 18,998 Great Britain Feb. 6, 1902 

